Picture if you will—no, not Rod Serling—a trip you’re taking down a river in a small canoe. You’re entering into a series of cataracts and rapids, and the water begins to swirl and pull from several different directions at once. Then you spot a group of large rocks to which you are being pulled. You’ve got only a moment or two to make a good decision that will enable you to avoid a nasty scenario.

That’s what the energy is like this week. Two major planetary stations, a series of tricky aspects, Friday the 13^th and a general sense of I-Know-I’m-Going-Somewhere-But I-Don’t-Know-Exactly-Where. It’s a time of forward momentum, but flexibility is required because the energy is unsettled. The keynote this week is ADAPTABILITY.

After a lively Monday with generally harmonious but very busy aspects, Pluto—the Lord of How Intense Can We Be and Get Away With It?—turns retrograde at 9 degrees Capricorn. This occurs on Tuesday at 3:35 am PDT, 6:35 am EDT, and 11:35 am GMT.

Pluto stations tend to dig things up, present us with intense situations that transform our lives in subtle ways, scraping us clean until the pure truth of whatever needs revealing is known to us consciously. Another way of saying it—this is one of those times that can be hellish if we don’t watch out. The World Trade Center was bombed the first time under a Pluto station. He’s not the Lord of the Underworld for nothing. As Iggy and The Stooges would say, this is Raw Power. And an early-week Mars square to Pluto is pretty ruthless.

The best way to handle a Pluto station is to be very aware of power issues in your life. Who holds the power and what are they doing with it? What core issues are coming up for you? Barry Goldwater’s motto, “Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice,” sounds like it was written under a Pluto station. Moderation is your friend this week, however extreme you feel.

Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, the sign of sex, death and metaphysics; also money through others, sex, research, and sex. Expect news, sadly, about terrorist activities and don’t be surprised if another sex scandal breaks to the surface. It’s a good time to write that erotic novel but to stay out of seedy situations. You don’t need to be THAT type of Method writer!

Bookending the week is the Mars station at 3 degrees Virgo on Friday the 13^th, with Hollywood’s favorite Angry Red Planet calling “ACTION!” It returns to direct motion at 8:22 pm PDT, 5:22 pm EDT and 12:22 pm GMT.

During its long retrograde period, Mars was like an innocent guy in handcuffs crying, “I’m a victim of soi-cumstance!” Frustration over details has been prevalent, but the good news is that the key to the cuffs has been found and it’s finally time to take that big leap forward. So all together now, exhale, shake it off, hit the stage and BELT IT! Just be on-key. Mars in still in Virgo and can be picky, picky, picky! Don’t rag on somebody while they’re trying to rag on you.

Between these two stations, the week takes some strange twists and turns, with the energy Wednesday and Thursday playing good cop/bad cop —sometimes happy, sometimes grim and glum. Try to maintain your equilibrium. Go for a swim. Not with your electric guitar. Be careful. We don’t want your electric personality to be THAT electric!

The weekend has a bit of a hard edge to it energetically (Sun opposing Saturn on Sunday), so the best way to handle it is to WORK at that project you swore you’d get to, or one that is ready to go. Focus, focus, focus. Intensity of effort now is what makes Spielberg take your call. Accomplishment is the result of maneuvering in this energy field with confidence in your own abilities. Buy your Oscar dress as a personal incentive.

As for the 12 signs, the envelope please…

ARIES (March 20-April 19): You’ve been tied to the tracks when somebody shoots the knot open that’s been holding you back. Now scramble up and GO! Mars (your ruling planet) is busting out of prison and taking you with him. The only question is why you would hesitate even for a moment. That’s not your way, and this week you can solidify your propulsive reputation. But get your feet under you first. You’ve had enough trip-ups lately.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): OK, so you dropped that earring that was your mother’s bequeathment to you. Somebody finds it and returns it to you. They look threatening at first, but turn out to be both a Good Samaritan and a hunk. This week, things that look disappointing turn out to have happy endings if you can avoid ruffling your mind. So be aware of your immediate terrain, who’s in it, and if necessary drop bread crumbs to mark your path.

GEMINI (May 20-June 20): It’s not socially acceptable to gloat, so don’t; the person you’re speaking to could work for a secret benefactor testing the depth of your humility. This week is about the stress that comes from anticipating success. You may be already around the bases in your mind before you actually hit the pitch to win the game. First things first—don’t strike out.

CANCER (June 21-July 20): The monster in the cellar could reveal itself this week. Make sure you’re not married to him/her/it. Pluto stationing in Capricorn is your shadow self making itself felt. Walking down the steps to face the fear is what makes this week so intense for you. You could just remain as you are, but then what would you do with that new lightsaber? Use the Force, Luke!

LEO (July 21-August 20): Bill Cosby, having been trained in martial arts, once said: “There’s no better feeling than walking around knowing you could wipe out your whole neighborhood.” This week feels like that to you. It’s power-driven, it’s intense, it forces you to step up and face a number of challenges. But you’re a Lion anyway. I don’t see a problem here.

VIRGO (August 21-September 20): This could be a whiny week for you, but for the fact that your best asset is your ability to revel in the details of things. So the bomb that just burst through your window is a piece of cake for you to defuse. Watch your energy level and rewire a food truck’s GPS to come right to your door if necessary. Just don’t expect much appreciation from the driver.

LIBRA (September 21-October 20): It’s a jump ball and you need to have an idea of what to do with it if you are able to grab it. Don’t try for the long shot now, just check that your teammates are in the right position. This week is one of forward motion complicated by people paying attention to their own foibles. Aim for your teammate’s head when you throw him the ball and he’ll have to catch it. Forceful action, if well directed, wins for you now.

SCORPIO (October 21-November 20): Pluto is your ruling planet and Mars was once considered your ruler as well. This week, both turn around in different directions. So will your head. It’s almost as if you’re Frodo in the Mines of Moria and a big, bad Orc stabs you with a lance. But you’re wearing your mithril-coat and are protected by it from the worst-case scenario. And you’re used to intensity anyway. So try not to rub your hands in glee.

SAGITTARIUS (November 21-December 20): You’ve been feeling like the guy in ABC’s old Wide World of Sports who wipes out on his downhill skiing attempt. This week, the Agony of Defeat turns into the Thrill of Victory for you if you can harness your natural skills. So why are you going over instructions in your head when you simply need to push off, speed up, and jump? Elvis would say, “A little more action, a little less conversation.”

CAPRICORN (December 21-January 20): There’s a steel blade in your life waiting to be sharpened. This is one of those moments when the ring of metal is music to your ears. The sharpness of the energy this week finds you either in crisis or aiding those in it. The good news is that Mars direct in Virgo is like Merlin helping you pull Excalibur out of the stone. Being prepared for kingship means you have to prove yourself now.

AQUARIUS (January 21-February 20): It’s not every day that someone walks up to you and offers you your secret dream-come-true. This isn’t the day, either. But it is the time when you need to heed Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Sometimes you need to step outside your previously conceptualized reality and perceive a new vista. Otherwise, you just remain a slave to your own mind. It’s time to exercise your motivation muscle. The darkness will remain only as long as you live in it.

PISCES (February 21-March 19): Why is it that just when you decide to go sailing the wind picks up as if it heard you? The answer: you’re usually tuned in to the synchronicity of all things. This week is one in which you’ll need to be sure the gale-force winds in your life don’t blow you away. You can count on partnerships to begin moving now, but they can kick you out of bed as well as caress you. Just don’t allow them to punch holes in your boat.

Next week: A Mercury-Mars competition, on Dancing With the REAL Stars!